Reflection

Travel is an Import and how Exchange Rates Work

If you have been travelling overseas for any length of time, you will have noticed how easy it has become to transfer Australian dollars into the currency of whichever country you are in. But, what actually happens when money is ‘transferred’ overseas?

A Climate Change Response that Beats Inflation

Power is one of the biggest costs for households and small businesses. And the costs are rising. The good news is that many Australians can simultaneously improve their personal finances while reducing their use of fossil fuels.

What happened to Silicon Valley Bank?

You may have seen the recent news that an American Bank, Silicon Valley Bank, collapsed. This raises two important questions: what happened? And, could something similar happen here?

What Can an SMSF Pay For?

It has been a while since we last wrote about self-managing your super. Self-managing super can be a lot of fun and, if done well, can be very cost-effective as well. So, this week, we thought we would take a quick look at expenses that an SMSF can and cannot pay for.

Super’s Got a New Cap

You may have seen recent commentary about a new cap on large super balances. It has caused a lot of discussion, but the changes will not affect that many people. Most of us do not really need to worry.

All debt is paid off ‘After-Tax’

If you have a debt, you are probably making repayments. Each repayment you make is probably divided into two parts: interest and principal. Indeed, technically, you are only actually making a repayment if your regular payment includes an amount that reduces the principal of your debt.

When you have debt, every dollar you spend is a borrowed dollar. It’s a loop.

Many people have debt. Not as many people realise that, if you have debt of any kind, then every dollar you spend is another dollar you have borrowed. That’s how debt works.

Managing Debt Better – Good Debts versus Bad Debts

Interest rates are in the news and they will stay there for a while yet. So, now is a great time to think about how you are managing your debt. Over the next few weeks, we want to provide some fundamental advice that will help you or someone you love best manage their debts.

What to Do if Someone Dies

Australia’s death rate remains the same as it has always been. We get one death each. The problem is, very few of us know when our death will come. What is also certain is that we will know people who die before us. This is a quick guide to what to do if someone you love dies.

How to Win at Tennis. And Investing

It is Australian Open time again and the world’s attention focusses on Australia’s very own Grand Slam Tennis Tournament. Happily, with Covid restrictions much less this year, we will see a blockbuster tournament. May the best players win.